A Snuggle Bug & A Ballerina

Aquamarine

I pieced & quilted a quilt for my mother-in-law for Christmas...

but didn't take pictures of the finished product...

as I finished it the day before I gifted it...

nice...  

I like a little stress around the holidays...

don't you?

I kidnapped it back today to take pictures for you.

I stitched in a ditch...

kinda...

Well, I tried to stay in the ditch anyway...

Afterwards, 

a friend clued me in on using a patterned fabric for your backing...

so as to hide all of your mistakes...

This quilt has lots to hide...

but

say la vee...

I feel accomplished.

& I secretly named her

Aquamarine.

(I hope Ann doesn't mind.)

Cute As A Cupcake

Girlfriend's 1st Birthday!

Strawberry Cake

Cupcakes

Balloons

Fruit & Yummy Dip

Cheese

A Cupcake Table Runner

Sweet Tea

A Relish Tray

Tortilla Soup

Turkey Wraps

&

One stinkin' cute 1 year old baby girl in a birthday dress!

This was my first try at making a knot dress...

& I can't wait to make my next one!

Free Motion

Girlfriend's first birthday is right around the corner 

(Can you believe it?!  One?!  365 days old?!)...

&

I've been wanting to learn to free motion quilt for awhile...

So here we are.

Seems logical...doesn't it?

The applique and piecing were a piece of cake...

Free motion quilting wasn't as "free" as it sounds.

It took serious concentration and looking ahead.

I had to picture coral reef as I chanted "smooth meandering coral reef...I can do this" in my head in an effort to meander in a semi-fluid motion that might create smooth curves...

It is an abstract kind of hand/eye/mind coordination that can only be fully understood by attempting such a task.

AND let me tell you,  

if someone even walked past the table all concentration was broke & my hands suddenly jerked in a fierce pointed movement, breaking all meandering laws, crossing over and forming none other than the forbidden sharp pointed corner...

Thus 

sending me into a distressed frenzy, spouting language more fit for a sailor than a quilter.

I'm sure one day it will be smooth & free & fun.

After a bit more practice.

And a silent house...

without distractions like children and dogs...

right?

& really don't get me started on the hand binding and jacked up corners...

I will conquer this quilting thing.

I am not giving up.

I had to throw this last picture in 

NOT so that you could see the table runner on my table, 

but to remind myself that there really are brief fleeting moments

 (when my children are down for nap)

 that every surface in my house isn't covered by toys & clutter.

Now that is a sense of "free".

Game Night

We have started having game nights at our house.

I love it!

AJ loves it!

I love that AJ loves it!

Sometimes he even lets Girlfriend join in.

Girlfriend loves it!

& naturally, I love that she loves it!

Yeeha!

FYI:

According to AJ, Cowboys do not drink milk for breakfast.

They drink juice.

right...

And apparently they don't listen to their moms very well either...

They are too adventurous for that.

Good thing he was only a Cowboy for a day.

It's A Pillowcase...It's A Dress...No...It's A Shirt?

Girlfriend was rockin' her pillowcase dress like nobody's business...as a shirt.

You gotta love a dress that looks just as stinkin' cute as a shirt.

(Just ignore the fact that she is playing with a marker & a rock...usually she is surrounded with developmentally appropriate educational toys.)

Right...